Bagels and Locks by Collectors’ Workshop, Nick Ruggiero, Mike Adelman

Effect: Prepare yourself for the outstanding theatrical event of the decade.

Performer displays a deck of round playing cards, each card made with a hole in its center. “You may be wondering”, says the performer, “why these cards are shaped this way. For years, every time I bought a new deck of cards, my wife complained: ‘You can’t eat playing cards’. Well, after a while, it occurred to me that perhaps I could. I’ve been experimenting. I find that the Hearts taste the best, but from time to time, there’s nothing like a good Club sandwich.” Having displayed the deck and shuffled it, performer places the entire deck between two halves of an otherwise empty bagel. (Picture the poetry: “Here I have an empty bagel”) “Having learned at an early age how to play with my food, I will now turn this meal into an illusion. Indulge me for a moment while I secure the bagel.”

A ribbon is placed through the hole of the bagel and locked tight with a small padlock. And, in the event the entire audience has not raced ahead to the inevitable pun, you stand back in awe and exclaim, “There, bagels and locks.”

The circular deck is now spread before the spectator, who freely chooses any one of the cards. It is returned to the deck, and the deck is closed. The spectator is now asked to utter his favorite Talmudic incantation over the securely-locked bagel in his hands.
Having done so, the deck is now spread once more, but the overturned card is now gone. Spectator ‘unlox’ the bagel and is stunned beyond words to find his card sandwiched between the halves.

Purchase this illusion or feel guilty if you don’t. Comes complete with bagels, cards, lock, etc.

Found something wrong? Help us improve things by clicking here!